Comments

I love tea. I love all different kinds of teas. I love everything about tea, from the leaves to the teacups to the delicious snacks you can munch on while sipping a hot cup. For any of you out there that *think* you don’t really like tea, this post is so you can find your own way to enjoy tea too.

Find Your Type

As I mentioned in my first post, there is an unbelievable variety of teas from different cultures and parts of the world. Across continents, oceans, and time, people have developed teas that taste wildly different– hot or cold, sweet or bitter, creamy or straight, refreshing or filling, the different characteristics are almost infinite. Just take a look at these videos to get a glimpse of all the myriad options you have to choose from.

If you think you don’t like tea, I challenge you to try a couple of these different varieties. My guess is that you’ll find one you love! If American iced tea is too sweet for you, try Chinese pu-erh tea. If you want something fun, fruity, and refreshing, try Taiwanese bubble Tea. Want something soothing and fresh after meals? Moroccan Mint Tea may be a good option. Play around with different types of tea and different brewing methods to see what suites your palate. And remember, you never have to follow a recipe perfectly, in fact…

If You Don’t Want to Commit 100%

It’s completely alright if you don’t like plain tea, straight from the teapot with no additions. Flavor enhancers like cream, sugar, and spices can be added or removed from tea varieties in any which way you choose. Actually, you can use tea as one of several components in refreshing mixed drinks if you want to drink tea, but not full force. Add lemonade, sparkling water, different juices, herbs, or fruit to change it up. Add ice to normally hot teas if you like cold, refreshing drinks. Make tea smoothies, tea slushies, maybe even tea cocktails (for readers of legal age). The different combinations are endless, so find a combination that works for you! Here is a list of 22 delicious different ways you can mix and match tea to get those creative juices flowing.

Raspberry Lemon Iced TeaThai Tea Frappe

Additional Nibbles

Who said tea can only be a drink? Some tea lovers have found ways to incorporate tea into everything from macarons to roasted butternut squash. Tea can add a delicate, herbal, earthy flavor into any of your favorite recipes, deepening the flavor and layering unique aromatic undertones. If you find a flavor of tea that you really love, it may be worthwhile to experiment with adding some tea leaves/tea into your favorite biscuit or cookie recipe to make a new staple snack. I find that this addition technique works especially well for people who already love adding lavender or chamomile to their dessert recipes because the herbal flavor that’s added is fairly similar for some kinds of tea. Moreover, if there’s a complete tea recipe you enjoy (such as a certain chai blend), you could try making cookies or biscuits centering around those flavors specifically in order to enjoy your favorite tea in different mediums. Check out this list of 18 scrumptious recipes for food/desserts involving tea for inspiration.

Chai S’moresMatcha Green Tea Coconut Pancakes

Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize!

Finally, as I detailed in my last blog post, a huge part of enjoying tea is finding pleasure and joy in the act of brewing and drinking your tea. Much of this has to do with the physical appeal of the objects you’re using, so use teacups, teapots, saucers, and various other additions that you truly love! With a little bit of hunting (I recommend the world wide web, vintage boutiques, antique shops, or anywhere you like to shop for dishware), you can find some really lovely pieces that can make your tea experience a hundred times more fun, cute, elegant, whimsical, [insert adjective of your choice here], depending on what you choose. You could use traditional celadon, creative teacups with surprises inside, uniquely decorated or formed teapots, cute tea infusers (I personally enjoy a Moby Dick inspired whale tea infuser), or free-spiritedly bohemian tea canisters. If you love to knit, you could even make a little tea cozy to give a plain white teapot some personality (or just buy one if you don’t like to knit). Here are some examples of different accessories you could use. The biggest takeaway here is that you should use utensils that make you feel happy.

In the end, tea can be anything you want it to be. Though this short blogging stint may be at an end, I urge you to search for your own personal tea culture. Find what you enjoy and indulge in it– we could all add a little tea-light and loveliness into our lives.

Now that we’ve discussed the physical aspects of tea and how it’s made, I’d like to turn our attention to the human aspect of tea. Although (as alluded to in my first post) there are countless different customs surrounding tea in different parts of the world, I’d like to focus on the Korean tea ceremony, which is an integral part of my own culture.

The first time I experienced a full, traditional Korean tea ceremony was during a visit to a Buddhist temple high in the jagged mountains of the Korean countryside many years ago. After an achingly long car ride on winding, unpaved roads, my family and I crawled out of our car into a secluded oasis of serene gardens, gently gurgling fountains, and a majestic temple. The monk prepared a tea ceremony to greet my family, and as I sipped the delicate, earthy tea while listening to the calm sounds of the mountain, I felt (however cheesy this may sound) my frustrations (i.e. being car sick and hungry for 3 hours in 90 degree weather) slowly fade away. This is what captivates me about the Korean tea ceremony– it’s imbued with a sense of serenity, zen, and tranquility that is hard to find in our modern, fast-paced world.

Traditional Korean Buddhist Temple

Several factors meld together to build this all-encompassing experience. First and foremost is the tea ceremony itself. Here’s a fairly good example of what a traditional ceremony would be like (with good descriptions):

If you felt almost a bit frustrated while watching (or if you didn’t finish watching out of impatience), don’t worry, tons of other people probably did as well. While today’s culture is incredibly fast-paced and complex, the Korean tea ceremony centers around meditative movements that are extremely slow, controlled, and deliberate. Great tea masters in ancient Korea would practice for years to develop the extreme focus necessary to perfect the graceful, fluid movements characteristic of this tradition. These movements, although incredibly controlled, are meant to be fluid, delicate, and effortlessly beautiful.

Although the ceremony may seem very rigid, it’s actually meant to be freeing, relaxing, and naturally coherent so that the atmosphere is open, calm, and peaceful (instead of stressful, structured, and formal). The architectural and natural setting in which tea ceremonies are usually held add to this sense of openness and serenity. Traditional Korean houses (known as hanoks) are typically very intertwined with the natural setting. Open form planning combined with several large doors and windows that allow for air circulation and views of surrounding forests/gardens emphasize how connected we are with the natural world around us, and promote meditation. This connection to nature is also apparent in the water traditionally used to make tea– the water is generally the best quality local water available. The most renowned Korean teahouses even had their own springs in order to ensure natural purity.

View from the Teahouse of a Traditional Hanok

Thus you can see, the entire tea ceremony focuses on much more than simply drinking tea– it is a performance art that exudes zen peace, reverence to the tea and guests, simple gratitude, and peacefulness. Tea is continually steeped, served, and sipped (and sometimes tea time can last for several hours). It is customary to drink a single cup of tea in three small sips in order to spend adequate time thoughtfully savoring the taste and moment. As guests enjoy the tranquil tradition, they are meant to revel in the luxuriousness of time, calmly feeling it seep away as slowly and gently as the tea leaves infuse the water.

As an intended chemistry major, I feel it is my duty to explore the various chemical compounds in tea that make it the wonderful elixir that has become the second most consumed beverage in the United States. Although the word “chemical” is widely used as a derogative in modern society due to upheaval over some nasty compounds being put into our food, care products, pesticides, cleaning products, etc. in and of itself “chemical” simply refers to literally any combination of atoms that forms matter (basically, everything we interact with is a chemical). Far from being harmful, chemical compounds in tea give it it’s appearance, bouquet, flavor, and taste. Because the number of tea varieties is quite prodigious (thousands of different kinds!), it’s impossible to go into great detail about specifics; however, there are several common families of compounds across the board.

Polyphenols: These are the most abundant compounds in tea leaves, accounting for around 30-40% of fresh tea leaves. Polyphenols are a group of compounds with a lot of phenol groups (a benzene with a hydroxyl group), and contain compounds like catechins, theaflavins, tannins, and flavonoids. These polyphenols are responsible for both the astringency of some teas as well as the health claims surrounding tea; these polyphenols in tea have antioxidant properties and are touted for their panaceic health benefits. There are about 30,000 polyphenolic compounds in tea, with flavonoids being the most important because during oxidation (see previous post), these oxidize and produce the darker colors and stronger flavors noticeable in black and dark oolong tea.

CatechinTheaflavin

Amino Acids: For any biology people reading this, amino acids not only build proteins, but also give tea its rich umami flavor. The most important amino acid in tea is theanine, and the Camellia sinensis (see previous post) is one of only three plants known to produce this compound naturally. More specifically, L-Theanine is the compound that promotes relaxation (the chemical reason behind why tea is traditionally associated with a calm, zen lifestyle) by creating alpha brainwave activity. In fully steeped tea, all amino acids constitute about 6% of the solids.

Theanine

Pigments: Chlorophylls and carotenoids are the plant pigments that color tea (chlorophylls being the green pigment while carotenoids are the yellow-orange pigment). When the tea leaves are picked, depending on the drying/oxidation time, chlorophyll pigments condense and become darker black pigments called pheophytins (this is why many teas with longer oxidation periods are super dark).

Methylxanthines: This group of compounds includes caffeine (the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug), our saviour when it comes to slow mornings, undereye circles, and foggy minds. In addition to similar compounds like theobromine and theophylline, caffeine is produced by tea plants as a natural insect/predator deterrent. Methylxanthines also lend a bitter taste to tea (commonly found in cheaper/poorly brewed green tea).

CAFFEINE! And two other compounds…

Volatiles/Aromatic Compounds: Last but most definitely not least, these compounds give tea the majority of its flavor and aroma. Aromatic compounds are compounds that contain a planar carbon ring with delocalized pi electron clouds (basically, the electrons all mix around and float in a donut shape above and below the structure). As the name implies, these compounds are have a strong scent/aroma, which they contribute to the tea. There could be thousands of different compounds working together in one type of tea to make the unique flavor, and in many modern, manufactured teas, additional aromatic compounds are added to the leaves in order to make the teas sweeter, fruitier, etc. (take birthday cake tea, for example).

Clearly, tea is a gigantic collaboration and balancing act between different chemical compounds (these general families don’t even get close to all the specifics!). Let me know if you’d like me to go into more detail on any of these in particular!

Contrary to popular belief, most tea comes from the same plant. This obviously isn’t the case for plant specific teas such as mint tea, chamomile tea, and chrysanthemum tea (actually, there are people who argue these aren’t legitimate teas, just herbal infusions); however, common teas like black, white, oolong, and green all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. The Camellia sinensis is a shrub or small tree from which the leaves, leaf buds, and even stems can be used to make different teas.

Leaves and Flowers of Tea PlantTea Plantation

The reason there can be so many tea varieties produced from a single plant lies in the fact that there are infinitely many ways you can change the production process, starting with the geographic location of the plant and when you pick the leaves. The location in which the tea plants are grown significantly varies the gustatory qualities—Darjeeling is grown from a cool and wet region in the foothills of the Himalayas and Wu-Long is grown on mountainous regions near the Tropic of Cancer in Taiwan (many high quality teas as grown at high elevations because it slows the growth of the plant allowing for more extended flavour development). The time during which the tea is picked matters as well—when picked in the early spring, tea is light and aromatic, while summer teas have a stronger bite with some bitterness, and autumn teas are of a lesser quality in terms of intensity in taste. Some of the rarest teas are so expensive because they are either grown in a very select and extremely small location, or are only picked at impeccably precise and limited windows (the green tea I carry around with me is picked extremely early in the budding process). For example, Da Hong Pao is grown in the Wuyi rock mountains of China, and is a dark oolong tea. Legend has it that a dowager empress of the Ming dynasty was cured of an illness by tea grown from bushes in these mountains, and six of those original bushes are (reportedly) still alive today. Tea produced from these bushes is valued even more highly than gold because of the rarity.

These are the legendary bushes

Once the leaves are picked, they are processed; processing is the second step during which teas can differentiate. Leaves are typically laid out to wither to reduce water content; green tea leaves are usually steamed or baked instead so the leaves remain green. Next, the tea leaves are rolled to not only shape the leaves, but break down cell structures to release aromatic oils and juices from the leaves. This ensures that the leaves oxidize more evenly in the next step, and helps create flavor.

Sun-drying Pu-erh Tea

Then the leaves are oxidized; this is a chemical reaction in which oxygen combines with molecules in the tea leaves, it’s similar to how metal rusts over time or how an apple turns brownish when left out. Put quite simply, the darker the color of tea leaves and tea, the more oxidized they have been. Thus, light teas like green tea and white tea experience very little oxidation while dark teas like black tea experience significant oxidation.

Diagram of different oxidation levels

Finally, the tea is dried to stop the oxidation process and then packaged for consumption! I tend to drink loose leaf tea, but packaged teas (in little baggies or tea temples) go through additional processing. I hope this was an enlightening journey through the tea-making process; the next time you have a nice cup of tea you will know the basics of how it was made! In fact, if you are so intrigued that you’d like to try your hand at making your own tea, you can look into buying your own tea plants as well. Thanks for reading; come back next time to keep exploring the world of tea!

Green, white, black, oolong, chrysanthemum, chai, mint, barley, and endless other varieties galore, tea is a custom that crosses international borders and constantly evolves to satisfy the thirst of modern times while maintaining ancient traditions. Whether you carefully brew your tea from loose leaves in a fragile celadon teapot or get it to go with extra sugar syrup and cream from Starbucks, whether you prefer English Breakfast or Mount Jun Silver Needle, you are partaking in a practice developed thousands of years ago.

Traditional Korean Celadon TeapotStarbucks!

You may be wondering how this whole tradition of dropping plants into hot water got started, and the answer is nobody really knows. There are two popular legends surrounding the origins of tea; both legends place the beginnings in ancient China. According to one legend, the first cup of tea was brewed in 2737 B.C. when a cup of boiling water was served to Emperor Shen Nung. Some leaves from a nearby tree blew into his cup and, voilà, tea! The Emperor was so pleased with the crisp, delicate taste that he made drinking tea a regular practice that spread throughout China

Green Tea

Another popular legend dates the birth of tea even earlier, about 5,000 years ago. It is said that Shennong, the legendary inventor of Chinese agriculture and medicine, was testing the medicinal properties of dozens of herbs in order to find cures to illnesses. One day he rather unfortunately consumed 72 poisonous herbs and, severely poisoned, laid down to rest underneath a small, delicate tree. As the wind blew around him, a leaf fell from the tree and landed near Shennong who, surprised by the intense scent of the leaf, ate it (sidenote, you should never go around eating random leaves that fall near you, no matter how delicious they smell. I’m sure you know that already, but I figured I’d remind you just in case). After chewing on the leaf he realized that he no longer felt sick, and hailed the tea leaf as curative and detoxifying medicine for the Chinese people.

Traditional Chinese Painting of Tea Ceremony

After the “invention,” the practice of drinking tea became integrated into everyday Chinese life and intertwined itself into common philosophical beliefs of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Tea ceremonies developed to symbolize a calm, pure, and enlightened mindset as tea became connected with immortality and longevity (due to its medicinal nature). It also became associated with the ideas of frugality and self-discipline because, as many kinds of tea were very cheap (excluding very rare teas served to the emperor), drinking tea was a rejection of the expensive and luxurious.

Over centuries, the practice of making, brewing, and serving tea developed to become more refined and varied—some tea farmers developed cake teas (where tea leaves are packed and carved into delicate artistic bricks) and found different ways of growing tea plants and treating the leaves to create hundreds of new kinds of tea. As scholars from the Asian continent and beyond traveled to China, the custom of tea drinking spread around the world.

Yes, this brick is made of tea leaves! To drink, you break off a tiny piece of the brick and crumble it into boiling water.

Whichever legend you prefer, the tea drinking community generally agrees upon the fact that tea originated thousands of years ago in China and spread across Asia and the other continents until many civilizations throughout history developed their own tea customs. Thus, we find Moroccan Mint tea, Japanese Matcha tea, Indian Masala Chai, Turkish Cay tea, Tibetan Po Cha, Mongolian Suutei Tsai, and dozens of other traditional teas that have been incorporated into various histories. Even if you don’t care much for traditional teas, modern companies have developed fresh new teas for the fast-paced new age, marketing tea detoxes, tea energy drinks, to-go tea drinks (AriZona Tea anyone?), and unique flavored teas like Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Cake. Throughout the course of this blog, I hope to discuss some aspects of tea you may not have thought about before, so stay tuned!